Free Republic

State Returns from SC (polls close at 7pm EST): http://www.enr-scvotes.org/SC/16213/28352/en/summary.html From NC (polls close at 730 EST) http://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NC/17242/28326/en/summary.html For Utah (Polls Close 10pmEST) http://electionresults.utah.gov/xmlData/300010.html If anyone has better links, please share them. GO Haley, Scott, and Lee!

North Carolina Republican Facebook page will instantly delete anything you say against them. As usual, their tactics mirror those of the Democratic establishment. Time to do away with all establishment politicians!

Hey all....great news for Frank....I wish him the best in the primaries!!

Several current or former Republican officeholders are considering a run against the incumbent congressman, including Rick Berg, a Fargo state legislator who officially added his name on Thursday to the list of possible challengers. “Washington needs some fresh leadership,” said Berg, who has served as the Republican majority leader in the state House. “They need a fresh perspective.”

The mayor of Hendersonville, N.C., says he is ready to challenge Rep. Health Shuler in 2010. Republican Greg Newman told local news outlets of his decision on Monday. Newman has been mayor of Hendersonville since 2005. In 2008,Shuler won a second term in the House by beating Asheville City Councilman Carl Mumpower by 26 points in a race that national Republicans did not target. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., carried the district by 5 points in the presidential race, Questions about a real estate development could make Shuler more of a target in 2010. CQ Politics currently rates the general election...

The 11th District is a tantalizing target for Republicans because of its history of voting for conservatives. The district went strongly for McCain-Palin over Obama-Biden in 2008 while also re-electing Shuler by a wide margin. The Republican recruiters are meeting with Hendersonville Mayor Greg Newman, former state Sen. Charles Thomas and Henderson County District Attorney Jeff Hunt. All three have expressed an interest in running against Shuler, although Hunt says he is leaning toward running for re-election as the top prosecutor.

Former Republican state Rep. Mia Morris visited the General Assembly on Wednesday and said she is thinking of running for Congress against Democrat Larry Kissell in the 8th District in 2010 or 2012. And she's not Mia Morris anymore. Since narrowly losing to Democrat Margaret Dickson in the 2002 election, Morris has divorced and remarried. Now she's Mia White. She had a set of twins, a boy and a girl, now 4, and moved to Singapore. White said she's been a commentator and analyst of American politics for Singapore's equivalent of CNN, and she has kept up with the news...

Some interesting observation from the county votes in North Carolina.

Who knows how this election will turn out in the end? There are about 500 polls out there, but now I’ve just seen one that makes sense to me (Not one of these automated dialing wonders by a machine that can’t tell if it’s talking to a sixty-year old man or a six year old child or a mental patient but a real honest to goodness poll with 873 pages of statistics.) So here’s my opinion, for what it’s worth. Just naturally, candidates like to believe their virtues – their speeches and stands and ads – are what get them...

Please Join the McCain Victory Team for Super SaturdaySeptember 20th, 20089 AM - 9 PM Come join McCain-Palin '08 volunteers from across the state on September 20th for a day of phone banking and neighborhood canvassing.With fewer than 50 days before the November electionthere is no time left to waste. John McCain and Sarah Palin have recently jumped in the polls, but we cannot sit back now. The Obama campaign is fighting hard to win this election, and we need your help to ensure that the McCain-Palin team reaches the White House. Please commit to a shift today in...

After months of me (and a lot of other NCers) doing a lot of nailbiting over polls showing Obama and McCain running within just a few points of each other in this long time red state - no doubt helped by Obama’s numerous visits here, we finally have a reason to be cautiously optimistic: RALEIGH (WTVD) — In an election for President of the United States in North Carolina Tuesday, September 09, Republican John McCain suddenly and breathtakingly surges to a 20-point win over Democrat Barack Obama, 58% to 38%, according to this latest exclusive SurveyUSA election poll conducted for...

Another Republican candidate for governor is working again on getting some support down east. Charlotte Mayor and GOP gubernatorial hopeful Pat McCrory announced this week he was hiring former Carteret County party chairman Bob Pruett to lead his grassroots efforts in 39 eastern counties. Eastern North Carolina voters remain predominantly Democratic, but more have voted Republican in federal races in recent years. But the GOP has had a hard time translating that to governor. In 2004, Republican nominee Patrick Ballantine of Wilmington didn't fare that well as incumbent Democrat Mike Easley – from Southport – racked up big wins there....

Rep. Patrick McHenry says the candidates who want his seat in Congress don't want to talk about his voting record. Unfortunately for the North Carolina Republican, there's plenty of other material for them to work with. The contest has gotten so ugly that McHenry's GOP opponent has accused McHenry of putting American lives at risk after he returned from Baghdad - perhaps a new height in primary election squabbling. "It's getting a little testy out there," said Michael Bitzer, a political science professor at Catawba College in Salisbury, N.C. "Campaigns are modern-day warfare, so you are going to pull out...

Dear JJ, I want to personally thank you for all you've done to support our campaign. Your continuing commitment over the past months to the values we share means so much to me. With the Pennsylvania primary approaching on April 22 and important states following soon after, I need your involvement now more than ever. The stakes couldn't be higher, as you well know. If we want to end the war in Iraq, restore America's reputation in the world, rebuild the middle class, reform our government, and provide affordable health care for all, we need to work together. The Republicans...

10th District Republican congressional challenger Lance Sigmon has released a TV commercial that details how in 2004 Rep. Patrick McHenry “purposely misled voters about his resume,” according to Sigmon. In the ad, Sigmon questions “why McHenry claimed to run a business that didn’t exist,” when he first ran for Congress in the 2004 Republican primary. The TV spot also states that McHenry improperly profited from a 2006 real estate deal in which “a campaign donor sold McHenry a house undervalued by at least $25,500. The highly respected political journal Roll Call, in an October 2007 article citing official North Carolina...

Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.), an opponent of the war in Iraq, is in a statistical tie with primary challenger Joe McLaughlin, according to a poll released Tuesday by McLaughlin’s campaign. The poll, conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, shows Jones leading McLaughlin 43-41, with 5 percent supporting another candidate and 11 percent undecided. Forty-eight percent of voters said it was time for someone new in the congressional seat, while 46 percent said Jones deserves reelection. The poll surveyed 500 likely voters using an automated method licensed by Rasmussen Reports.

Mark Steyn’s review of the candidate’s Christmas campaign messages is a must-read today because it’s likely to be the funniest thing you’ll see all day. Here’s a taste: John Edwards’s message is the usual Dickensian affair about the two Americas. I forget the details, but the upshot is that one America is a land of spindly emaciated Tiny Tims with barely three farthings to rub together for their next cup of gruel, while the other’s a marshmallow world where Dick Cheney, high on wassail, shoots a brace of turducken out of season, and then chows down as the Radio City...

North Carolina Right to Life PAC joins South Carolina Citizens for Life (SCCL), its sister affiliate in South Carolina, in endorsing former Senator Fred Thompson for President of the United States of America. “By endorsing Fred Thompson for President, North Carolina Right to Life PAC wants all North Carolinians to know Senator Thompson’s long-standing pro-life record, his unwavering commitment to protecting unborn children from abortion, and our belief in his ability to win,” stated Barbara Holt, PAC President. “As President, Fred Thompson will be a strong advocate for life at all stages.” Fred Thompson amassed a 100% pro-life voting record...

Pat McCrory, mayor of Charlotte for nearly 13 years, said he has always wanted what's best for the Queen City. But he's being tugged by the question of whether he can be more effective leading the city as mayor or wielding his influence as governor. As he mulls his decision whether to run for governor in 2008, McCrory said he is still committed to guiding the city's growth and trying to solve its problems. But the city's issues in many ways are tied to the support and funding it gets from the state, which have been inadequate, he said.

Like noxious bugs swarming over a crumbling tenement, followers of Ron Paul have invaded the blogosphere. Their target is anyone who dares to criticize their hero. Bloggers have dealt with them in various ways. Some have tried banning them outright. Others allow readers to engage them in back-and-forth debates that can easily take a thread to several hundred responses. I used to find the Paulites annoying, but recently I had a revelation: Far from being scorned, Paul’s rabid fans should be welcomed and encouraged. We should do everything we can to make certain they keep pushing their man, sending him...